The Town of Westerlo Public Library is a municipal public library chartered to serve the township of Westerlo by the Board of Regents of the State University of New York. The library is administered by a Board of seven Library Trustees appointed by the Town Board for terms of five years.

History of the Town of Westerlo Public Library

The Westerlo Public Library celebrated its 30th year of service on June 8, 2016.

It had been the hope of many Westerlo residents for many years to have their own town library. In December 1983, Harold Bell generously donated the historic “Whitford Store” building to the Town of Westerlo to be used as a library and historical museum. Mr. Bell made the donation in memory of his beloved wife, Helen Taylor Bell, an ardent reader and history lover, who passed away in 1982.

The building had been used as a general store throughout the eighteen hundreds and the early nineteen hundreds by the Green family. About 1910 it was leased to Edwin Hannay and used as a car repair shop and show room for the new Model T Fords.

In 1915 it was purchased by Vernon Whitford and operated as an ice cream parlor and then expanded to a general store. Mrs. Bell, who worked as a clerk for Mr. Whitford, inherited the store in 1948 and continued to operate it until her death. Mr. Bell passed away in December 1983, eleven days after the transfer of the building to the Town of Westerlo.

On June 8, 1986 the Westerlo Public Library had its official opening with Ruth Hannay as its first Director. Much hard work preceded that opening. For two and a half years, the Library Committee, along with various community organizations and many volunteers, dedicated innumerable hours renovating the building which had no central heating or plumbing. Local librarians volunteered to catalog the books, most which had been donated. More volunteers typed thousands of catalog cards, sometimes wearing gloves in the unheated building during the winter, to get the books shelf-ready so that the library could obtain a charter and be eligible for State funds.

Since then the library has moved forward into the electronic age with high speed internet access, Wi-Fi, an on-line catalog and account management, all while maintaining our friendly personalized service, relaxed atmosphere and providing ample new items on the shelves for our browsing patrons. This library has been a community project from the beginning. We are committed to providing the highest level of library services to the people of Westerlo for many years to come!

Our Staff

Our Board of Trustees

Laura Tenney (2021), President
Roberta Nunn (2021), Secretary
Susan Cunningham (2022)
Susan Keitel (2020)
Lila Smith (2020)
Robert Wilcox (2021)
Vacant (2020)Board Meetings are held at 7 pm at the Library and are open to the public.